TN State Museum

Scott Williams, Townmania: Marcus Winchester and the Making of Memphis Marcus Winchester (1796–1856) devoted his life to transforming the small settlement on the fourth Chickasaw bluff into a thriving center of transportation, commerce, and industry that became Memphis. Sent there at Andrew Jackson’s request while still barely out of his teens, Winchester went on to become…

Timothy D. Johnson, Robert Neyland: The West Point Engineer Who Built Tennessee Football (University of Tennessee Press) Robert Neyland was not your typical college football coach. A graduate of West Point and veteran of both world wars, Neyland often played a dual role as both an army officer and football coach, shifting seamlessly between the two professions.…

Joe Pagetta, The Apostle of Tennessee: The Indefatigable Life and Ministry of Father Aloysius Orengo (Vanderbilt University Press) When Nashville became a Catholic diocese in 1837, it was mostly an aspirational exercise. The few Catholics scattered throughout the state were ministered to only occasionally by missionary priests who traveled by horseback from Kentucky. It is believed that…